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Completed TRL 8 (started at 4, targeting 8)
Mercury-ion (Hg+) clock targeting 10x—50x long-term stability over Rb+ and Cs+ space clocks. Leverages prior partnering investments and the DSAC Technology Demonstration Mission (STMD/TDM) results to address the highest remaining priorities as pre-requisites to operational Hg+ clock programs and infusion.
DSAC was launched in 2019 and remains operational in 2025.
The Deep Space Atomic Clock (DSAC) is a small, low mass atomic clock based on mercury-ion trap technology and demonstrate it in space providing the time keeping stability needed for the next-generation of deep space navigation and radio science. The mercury-ion clock coupled with an ultra-stable oscillator and a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) receiver will launch as a hosted payload on the Surrey Orbital Test Bed (OTB) mission. While in orbit, the DSAC payload is making use of GPS signals to perform precision orbit determination and confirm the clock's performance. After the demonstration, future missions to both Earth orbit and deep space will be able to use the results of the DSAC demonstration to develop customized versions of DSAC for operational purposes. This demonstration will advance the TRL of the mercury-ion atomic clock from the laboratory (TRL5) to an advanced prototype flown in space (TRL7) resulting in sufficient data and experience to develop the engineering roadmap to an eventual operational version for space missions.
Better clock accuracy improves navigation and timing precision. Launched in June 2019, NASA’s Deep Space Atomic Clock is a critical step toward enabling spacecraft to safely navigate independently in deep space rather than rely on the time-consuming process of waiting to receive directions from Earth.
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